Presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina has opened up on reports claiming he attempted to stop President Muhammadu Buhari from scrapping the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) as announced by the Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu, Sunday.
He described the report published by an online platform as fake news.
Adesina, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, said the report was meant to cause disaffection among the people.
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”An online newspaper has published that President Muhammadu Buhari was to have scrapped the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) on Friday, but was prevailed upon by presidential spokesman Femi Adesina, not to do so.
”The tendentious publication claimed Adesina hinged his argument on the fact that `the administration should not surrender to Twitter warriors.
”While the FSARS saga lasted, I did not say a word on it, whether publicly or privately. Why? It is not within my brief. It rests squarely with the Nigeria Police Force, which has its own spokesman.
”For the online publication to have cooked outright falsehood against me shows the riot that is going on in that space, in the name of journalism.
”The brain behind the blog had always twisted stories against me and his former employers would testify that I had officially reported him about twice, till I then declined to grant him further interviews.
”The publication should please be treated as what it is – a lie from the pit of hell; a concoction, falsehood from a diseased mind, bent on causing disaffection against other people.”
The Inspector General of Police Muhammed Adamu, on Sunday announced the dissolution of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
Police spokesman Frank Mba, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, said Adamu disbanded the unit “in the finest spirit of democratic, citizen-centred and community policing”.
The statement quoted Adamu as saying that all officers serving in the unit are to be redeployed with immediate effect.
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The decision by the IGP follows call by many Nigerians that it be scrapped because of reported excesses.